Orange Segment

914 in action in the AvD Histo Monte

The Porsche 914 was an unusual beast. When released in 1969 it was seen as out of step with Porsche’s thinking. Certainly very different from the fêted 911, initial reception was a little mixed: it didn’t look like a Porsche, it used VW parts, it was mid-engined, and it only came with with a targa top.

Even professional drivers were put off by its twitchiness when pushed to the limit. But that didn’t stop this quirky Porsche taking-on the big boys. And winning. In Europe, 914s came home first in their class and took overall victory numerous times, and repeated the feat in the US. 914s were driven to at least 41 class wins, in addition to a minimum of 71 podium positions. They’re still winning, with 914s regularly used across the US and Europe to this day.

The 'original' 914

Cast your mind back to 2016, and you may recall the release of Roy Smith’s Porsche: The Racing 914s. This comprehensive study of the motorsport exploits of the 'funny little car' created as an entry-level Porsche proved much more popular than we ever imagined, gaining a place in BookAuthority's Best Car Racing Books of All Time. Originally a hardback limited to 1500 copies, we've decided to bring this great book back to the bookshelf in paperback format.

If you're not familiar with the 914's origins, or Roy's book, you'd do well to take a look at our 2017 interview with Roy – watch it on the book page over on our website, or here …

As chance would have it, and whilst working on the new edition, we received a message from a customer, Tolo Palmer, enquiring if the book was being reprinted. Nothing too unusual there; we get such enquiries all the time. What is unusual, though, is that Tolo’s friend owns a couple of 914s, including one in Roy's book. 

Tolo (centre), and Dominik (right) with co-driver Gerd Ottenburger in 2015,
after his fifth win in Mallorca.

We simply couldn’t resist sharing some of Tolo's story. Over to you, Tolo …

I grew up in Mallorca, and one day in 2003, being 11 years old and a little ill, my mother took me to see the doctor, followed with a visit to a local town bakery. While taking my medicine, I started to feel the ground shake and hear a loud noise. But it wasn’t the medicine: I turned my head to see a beautiful, original, orange Porsche 914/6 GT. I immediately ran behind the car, which stopped to turn at the next junction, and saw a line full of stunning classic cars behind it –  a 911ST driven by Walter Röhrl, and a 911SR driven by Jürgen Barth, to name just two.

 

I was so excited that as soon as I got home I told dad what had happened. He told me that there was a Classic rally going on, and that we could go and see it on Saturday. The day came, and we went to the race track, spending the whole day there. Ever since then, I’ve been a classic car lover.

 

The rally was held again the following year, so I went to see some of the stages. Sliding around the track, and smoothly driven – and driven hard – was an orange 914/6 GT, similar to the one I saw last year. On the last day of the rally, again at the track, the orange 914, driven by Dominik, took the overall win in the Trofeo Baleares Clasico, part of the European Rally Championship.

 

I had a photo taken of me leaning on the car (right), and hoped to see it again the following year. Sadly, that didn’t happen, but in 2008 Dominik returned to Mallorca with a beautiful 911 3.0 RS. Being just a teenager, my English was pretty poor, but I was very curious and went over to Dominik to ask for his autograph, which he supplied with pleasure.

 

On the second day of the Rally, Dominik saw me in the service area and came over to chat. I was very shy but couldn’t resist asking him if he still had the orange beauty that won in 2004. That put a big smile on is face, and after an interesting conversation he offered for me to spend the final day of the Rally with his service crew at the track.

 

On that day, I took the photo of me and the 914 to show Dominik and the crew: they loved it. Better still, Dominik won the Rally, and jumping out of his 911 afterwards, handed me his gloves as a memento. I put them on and sat in the car in tears of joy! Our good friendship has grown ever since. In 2009 he brought me a set of his first race overalls as a memento, and won the Rally Mallorca once again.

 

Going back to the 914, I went to Germany for a few years, where a 914 replica was being worked on. Dominik said that when the car was ready (it was finished in 2014), he was going to use it at the Eifel Rallye Festival – so, of course, I went. Dominik had owned an original 914 since 1999, but it sat idle in Dominik's workshop until 2015, when it was raced for the last time at the AvD Histo-Monte Rally – and won!

 

In 2022, for my 30th birthday, Dominik took me on a rally stage in the 914. I have quite a lot of experience around cars, but this all new to me; I couldn’t even put my seatbelt on. All I can say is that before we crossed the finish line, I was in tears. So many emotions came together for me, a mix of nostalgia and, I think, love. But that car is very special; as special as my friend Dominik. And that’s how I came to befriend a very special 914 and its very special driver.

Now, that’s a story all us petrolheads can relate to. Dominik’s original 914 was special for a number of reasons, not least of which being its appearance in Roy's book. But his replica is equally special. Following his 2015 win, and after being offered a lot of money for the car, Dominik had something of an epiphany. It dawned on him that, should he total the 914, he wouldn’t simply be destroying any old car, he would be destroying a very important piece of Porsche history. 

The replica 914, Mallorca 2014

Dominik decided to make a clone of his original 914, which he still owns, but is now retired from competition. So began a journey of discovery, as Dominik built-up a 914 road car shell into a machine suitable for the rallying circuit. Originally, the replica was intended to be a straight copy, but studying the FIA's historic racing regulations, he soon realised that there were many areas of the car that could be changed without falling foul of the rules. 

The build that followed involved a deep-dive into the nitty gritty details. The end result? A car with 250 shorter, lighter or smaller replacement components, and a 140Kg weight saving over the original car – an 800Kg rally rocket. The car has even been catalogued as 'the best rally Porsche 914 ever made.' The work Dominik undertook, and the racing exploits of this 914, deserve a book of their own; we don't have that, but, fortunately, in 2018 Petrolicious penned this great piece on the 914: take a look here. 

We’d like to thank Tolo for sharing his photos, his story of friendship and two very special 914s. We wish Tolo, Dominik, and, of course, the orange 914 many long and happy races in the future!

Hi-ho Silver!

It'll come as no surprise to hear that Roy has a 914 of his own, it is his second 914 and its a tad special. Incredibly, the paperwork trail verifies nearly every year of its life – not something many classics can boast. And this is no ordinary example. The car left the factory almost exactly 53 years ago – the 12th October 1970. The 13th car produced that day, this was a special order, specced with black paint, tinted windows, 1.7-litre 4-cylinder engine, and sporting factory Minilites, pus a rarely requested limited-slip diff option. 

The car was ordered by an American Porsche-loving couple. They wanted a car to run in motorsports events across the US, and ended up winning several Porsche Club of America awards. It was later sold to another couple who continued to compete with the car. They even took it to Italy, while the husband was stationed with the US military there, before returning to the USA in the 1980s.

Brought to the UK in 1990 by non-other than Henry Pearman, of Eagle fame (you really must check out his collection), it was sold by the Lenham Motor company, Kent, to its first UK owner, whose partial restoration included changing the colour to silver. In 1994 it was acquired by a 914 fan and made several appearances in magazines during his 25 year ownership, before it was acquired by Roy in early 2020.  

Roy commissioned Greatworth Classics near Banbury, to install a fresh, period 6-cylinder Porsche 2.7-litre engine, with high compression heads, polished ports and a reprofiled cam, fully balanced, its 5-speed 'box retaining the limited slip diff. Body and chassis are original, apart from the usual work needed to keep a 53 year old car in perfect condition, and now of course has uprated suspension, and brakes. 

So, there is the tale of some very special 914s. You can discover even more of the 914's racing exploits and successes in Roy Smith’s Porsche: The Racing 914s, reprinting in paperback format, and available in the UK early next year. Keep your eyes on our social channels for more details closer to publication, or head over to our store and pop your email in the Notify Me field to get an email when the book is available to buy.

Porsche
The Racing 914s

Roy Smith

The remarkable little car that turned into a big hearted racer. A study in pictures, statistics, factory information, and interviews, that show the Porsche 914 in a whole new light.

£40 UK 🇬🇧 $65 USA 🇺🇸 $78 CAN 🇨🇦

V5934 • Paperback • 22.5x22.5cm • 320 pages • 452 pictures
ISBN: 978-1-787119-34-5 • UPC: 6-36847-01934-1

Click here to find out more

If you’ve an interesting story to tell us, get in touch by email, or send a message on social; we’d love to hear it.

Jamie Chadwick joins Extreme E with Veloce Racing

Jamie Chadwick is joining Team Veloce for the inaugural season of Extreme E beginning next March, as one of 20 drivers competing in this brand new off-road all-electric SUV series … yep; you read it right!

Extreme E is a new motorsport series, created with climate awareness and eco principles built-in from the ground-up (no pun intended), and promises to offer something truly unique in the world or motorsport. Founded by Spanish businessman and ex-politician, Alejandro Agag, the series already has some big names on-board; Lucas di Grassi (former Formula E champ), Andre Lotterer (three-times Le Mans champ), and Katherine Legge, (seasoned Formula E, IndyCar/ChampCar, and DTM racer), to name a few. And then there’s team X44, founded by a certain Lewis Hamilton … hmm … name sounds familiar …

Alejandro Agag

Jamie is racing for the Veloce Racing team (fantastic name, but we are biased … and no relation, sadly) which was founded by none-other than Adrian Newey and Jean Eric-Vergne. Currently, two other female racers are confirmed; the UK’s Catie Munnings and Sara Price from the US.

The series aims to provide a fantastic spectacle, and one that could, perhaps, be a little more relatable for many people, than some race series. All-electric SUVs help not only to reduce fossil fuel use, but also create a filter-down effect for technology, much as other formulas have led to improvements in consumer vehicles. Using SUVs presents viewers with a more familiar vehicle than the extreme tech of F1 and Formula E, and could help bring a broader range of viewers to the sport. With SUVs being the biggest selling, and biggest growing auto market, bringing down its eco footprint could have a big effect on reducing fossil fuel use.

NOT your typical SUV.

As well as utilising all-electric SUVs, the series consulted experts in the fields of ecology and environmental science to ensure that it has minimal environmental impact. There will even be a team of scientists travelling with the race teams, investigating the effects of climate change in each location.

Further lessening the eco burden, people and equipment will be ferried to each region in RMS St Helena, an ex-Royal Navy cargo vessel modified to act as a floating paddock. And as if that wasn’t enough, the series is drawing up plans to leave lasting legacies in the areas it visits, with tree-planting, clean-up operations, and renewable energy initiatives.

RMS St Helena, Extreme E transport vessel

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Extreme E – certainly for traditional motorsports fans – is that there will be no track-side spectators. Instead, the entire series will be broadcast on TV and streamed online, with filming carried out by drones.  For viewers, the spectacle promises to be a feast for the eyes. If the trick shots and flyovers made possible by drone cams aren’t exciting enough, each race location will offer a very different environment for racing – from steamy rainforests, and frozen glaciers, to arid deserts, each being a 'poster child' for the effects of global heating and ecological damage.

Last year, Jamie showed her mettle by taking the championship crown in the female-only W Series. Sadly, the Covid pandemic brought a halt to this year’s W Series action, but it’s due back on track in 2021. Extreme E announced in April that there would be an equal number of male and female drivers, making it a rare opportunity to race against the opposite sex; as Jamie told BBC Sport:

"It's huge. It's amazing what Extreme E have done with the format they have chosen. It’s exciting for me because it gives me this opportunity - it's the same for everyone, 100% fair.

"It's such a male-dominated sport. There are so few females, that you have to take that responsibility [of being a female role model]. But I'm always just focused on doing the best job I can possibly do."

Jamie’s involvement in the sport has also had a knock-on effect on her own awareness of ecological issues, already making a positive impact on her own actions:

"I've definitely been made more aware of climate issues, with a lot of stats and things I wasn't aware of before. I try to do everything I can to help in my own life, such as scootering everywhere."

Jamie’s journey hasn’t always been smooth running, but with a W Series championship under her belt, Extreme E on the horizon, momentum continues to gather for Jamie, and with eight W Series races supporting the 2021 F1 season, the opportunity to add vital points to her Superlicence is just around the corner. Heaven knows it’s about time we saw a female racing driver in F1 again; the last to race was Lella Lombardi, in 1976.

We’d like to wish Jamie – and the brilliantly named Veloce Racing – the best of luck in the inaugural Extreme E season. We’ll be watching and cheering come March 2021 – and as they say on social #VivaVeloce !

Find out more about Extreme E and Jamie’s latest challenge, on the BBC at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/motorsport/55061262

Visit Jamie’s site http://jamiechadwickracing.com for all the latest news from Jamie, and the Veloce Racing site https://www.veloce-racing.com

Find out the what, when, and how of Extreme E at https://www.extreme-e.com

Dan Gurney

Veloce were saddened to hear news of the passing of a another motorsport legend, Dan Gurney, on the 14th January, aged 86.

Dan Gurney, Netherlands GP, 1970
By Joost Evers / Anefo (Nationaal Archief)
via Wikimedia Commons

Daniel Sexton Gurney was born in Port Jefferson, New Jersey, on April 13 1931. He moved to California with his family when he was 16, and by the time he was just 19 years old, he built and ran a car that attained 138mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats. His interests quickly moved-on to dragsters and sports cars.

With the ability to wrest even less-than-competitive, pre aero-era cars to a podium finish, he was said to be the only driver that Jim Clark feared on track. Gurney’s racing record reads like a hall of fame of championship series and cars, and he leaves a legacy that future drivers, constructors, and team owners alike, may never again attain. His career saw a string of high-profile wins and podium places in the world’s top racing series, from F1 and Le Mans, to Indy and NASCAR.

But it wasn't only racing where Gurney made his considerable mark. Constructor and team owner are also prominent on his CV, and his Eagle-Weslake cars are still considered as one of the most visually stunning F1 cars of all time.

A comprehensive look at Dan Gurney’s life and career in motorsport appears in Motor Racing Heroes – The Stories of 100 Greats, by Robert Newman.

Daniel Sexton Gurney, 13 April 1931 – 14 January 2018

New Release: Powered By Porsche

Just delivered to Veloce HQ is award winning author Roy Smith's latest book, Powered By Porsche. 

Limited to just 1500 copies, Powered By Porsche– The Alternative Race Cars is the first book of its kind, detailing the non-Porsche racing cars that utilised Porsche engines throughout history, illustrated with some never-before-published pictures that will give you a whole new insight into the world of Porsche.

Reviews for this tome have just starting reaching us, and we thought we'd share a few with you ...


"Porsche must be the most over-catered-for marque in motoring literature. However, this makes Roy Smith's stunning 466-page, meticulously researched tome on, in effect, Porsches that aren't Porsches, thoroughly welcome. 
"It takes an unusual decade-by-decade A-Z format, which causes the timelines to ping about a bit, but finds itself dividing naturally into two halves – the Porsche-engined specials from the earliest days of Ferdinand's engineering consultancy and nascent marque, and the further developments of its super successful sports-racers of the Seventies and Eighties.
"In many ways its the American Porsche-based cars that make for the most interesting and colourful reading, and which help to reinforce the understanding that often what were seen as factory efforts by the public owed much to the ingenuity of the likes of Brumos, Kremer and Holbert. There's also plenty of madness in here, with twin-engined racing cars, Porsche-eninged aircraft and road going Group C cars. Limited to just 1500 copies, [it is] beautifully presented and and incredible feat of research."
– Classic Cars



"At 468 pages and boasting 799 pictures, the Powered By Porsche – The Alternative Race Cars book is a hardback your coffee table will feel as it lands with a mighty thud. The first book to cover those non-works cars that raced with Porsche engines, the book has been put together by Roy Smith, a man with a passion for historic motorsport tales. Spanning the birth of the hybrid car in the 1890s, to the Daytona Prototypes, it is full of encyclopaedic details. It includes lots of unpublished images, anecdotes and insight you won't have come across before, it might even answer a few burning questions you may have."
– GT Porsche



"In his 15 years as an author Roy Smith has differentiated his works by studying areas that other historians have tended to neglect. Now in Powered By Porsche, Smith looks at other racing cars which have used Porsche engines and often chassis and running gear as well.
"Powered By Porsche is an encyclopaedic work unearthing any number of Porsche racing projects and contributes a great deal of background to half a century of Porsche auto racing competition. It will be of particular interest to North American readers, for as the author shows, most of the teams using Porsche motive power were here and he has clearly researched them in considerable detail. Roy Smith's latest offering is a veritable treasure trove for marque historians and an immersive pleasure for general fans."
– Kieron Fennelly



Today, we had the pleasure of welcoming Roy to the office once again, to sign some copies of the book for those who helped him compile this impressive work. Complete with interviews with team owners, drivers, and the people from Porsche, as well as answering questions that Porsche fans have always wanted to know, this book is not to be missed, and would make the perfect Christmas gift of any automotive fan!

You can order your copy direct from us, but make sure to be quick, as this limited edition book is sure to be a popular one!

McKay, McShane, and McRae

You probably all know that we're massive rally fans at Veloce Publishing, and with our recent release of Ford Focus WRC, this story from the official WRC website was particularly noticeable …

Rally fan Mark McKay has just raised almost £1000 for charity, after completing a marathon 24-hour charity drive around Scotland's senior football clubs, in memory of the legend of WRC, Colin McRae.

Mark, a bus-driver, covered almost 1400km, with his co-driver Lisa McShane, and they did it all in a £200 Ford Focus, converted into a replica of the iconic Martini-liveried Focus of the WRC car that McRae campaigned.

The drive was in aid of the charity Who Dares Cares, founded by two former soldiers to help those affected by PTSD, and started from Ross County FC, Dingwall, at 16.15 hrs, 15th September – 10 years to the minute after Colin McRae tragically died in a helicopter accident, along with his son Johnny, and two of his friends.

Meet Colin, the McRae Ford Focus WRC replica.

In typical rally fashion, it wasn't all smooth running, with gales, torrential rain, and rear light failures in 'Colin,' the name affectionately given to the replica Focus, that saw an hour's worth of frantic scrabbling with wiring, in darkness and pouring rain.

A year of planning isn't something to be dismissed lightly, so Mark came up with a cunning plan …

"I wired up the offside tail-light to the interior boot light, and screwed a camping head torch into the rear Ford badge on the tailgate and aimed it down onto the registration plate.”

Even though they slipped behind schedule by 95 minutes, they made-up time overnight, and made it through to an understandably emotional end at Paisley, welcomed by family and friends.

Mark is already planning an even more ambitious challenge … possibly a European stadia challenge, taking in clubs across Spain, France, Italy, England and Scotland. We can't wait!

You can find out more about Mark's inspiring efforts, over on the official WRC website: http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/news/september-2017/mcrae-charity/page/4869--12-12-.html

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Heading to France or Europe this Summer? YOU NEED THIS!

Seeing as Summer is here, and many of you will be heading off for your hols, what better, we thought, than offer something to take with you … or even inspire your holidays? We've combined both of Julian Parish's Essential Guides in one fantastic offer.

Hot on the heels of the New Edition of France: The Essential Guide for Car Enthusiasts, comes this superbly practical Twin Pack. For just £14.99 – that's the price of just the France guide alone – the Twin Pack also gives you the Europe guide, too. That's a saving of £9.99!

Not only do you get comprehensive coverage of over 200 car-themed things to see and do in France, but you also get all the information you need to stay safe, well, and have fun in over 50 countries across Europe.

Whether you're heading off for your hols, or maybe planning that Euro tour of a lifetime, Julian's guides are the best place to start … the ONLY place to start, as far as we're concerned – but, then, we are a tad biased!

Of course, it's also the perfect gift for Father's Day (Sunday 18th June … you haven't forgotten, have you?), whether or not Dad is going for a trip over the channel, detailing some superb destinations for days out, celebrations, historic rallies and places to visit.

You can get the Essential Guide's Twin Pack now, over on our shop, here, for just £14.99 (exc P&P).

The Essential Guides Twin Pack

Two fantastic books for the price of one! France: The Essential Guide for Car Enthusiasts New Edition, and The Essential Guide to Driving in Europe, combine to give you over 200 things for the car enthusiast to see and do in France, with all you need to know for a safe and enjoyable trip to 50 countries in Europe.

From planning a touring holiday, or taking a business trip, to enjoying a special journey across the channel with friends or a club, this invaluable double-pack will help you plan your trip, check information on the road, and enjoy some of the finest automotive-themed destinations in France.

Synopsis

France: The Essential Guide for Car Enthusiasts

This fully updated second edition is divided into five regions – Paris & the Île-de-France, Western France, Southern France, Central France & the Alps, and North-East France – each containing a wealth of detailed information for the auto enthusiast. With sections on museums, classic and modern car shows, automobilia, buying car parts, historic and modern motorsport events, and race circuits, each entry is illustrated in full colour. 

• 200 things for the car enthusiast to see and do
• Based on the acclaimed first edition, comprehensively updated for 2017
• Places and events throughout the year and in every region
• Explore where to see great cars on display
• Learn how to take part with your car
• Find out how to drive on 50 circuits
• Discover where to buy motoring art, books and parts
• Easy-to-use layout with practical information for each entry
• Extra information online: latest dates, one-off events and satnav data
• Of special interest to all owners of French cars

The Essential Guide to Driving in Europe

Providing all you need to know to prepare for your trip, cope with the unfamiliar, and stay safe while enjoying your trip, this guide covers everything from winter driving, towing a caravan, travelling with pets, and taking a classic car overseas, to what what to do in the case of a breakdown or accident. Covering Western Europe (including France), Southern Europe, Northern Europe, and Central & Eastern Europe, 50 individual countries are covered, and all the information is based on extensive local research, and includes comprehensive details of speed limits, drink/driving rules, motorway tolls, mountain passes, and other local regulations. Extensive illustrations help you recognise and understand unfamiliar signs, whilst more than 25 port maps guide you safely to terminals in the UK and on the Continent.

• All you need to know for a safe and enjoyable European trip
• Helps you plan your trip and check information on the road
• Reassurance for the first-timer … and the latest facts for regular travellers
• General guidance on driving abroad, and country-specific information
• Specific advice: driving in cities, towing, winter driving …
• What to do in an emergency: breakdowns, accidents, car crime …
• Comprehensive coverage: specific information for 50 European countries
• Speed limits, local rules, and motorway tolls in each country
• Extensively illustrated with 200 photos, plus road signs and port maps (UK & Continent)
• Includes UK information for visitors from USA and Australia

You can find out all about the guides, Julian Parish, and Julian's other fantastic books, over at the Drive Guide website … click the pic below.

COMPETITION TIME!

How would you like to win an original print of the Nigel Bennett-designed legendary 1989 Penske Marlboro PC18-Chevrolet Indy Car? Author of Inspired to Design – F1 cars, Indycars & racing tyres, Nigel was one of Britain’s most successful racing car designers of the 80s and 90s.

Kindly donated to Veloce by Nigel, this A1-sized illustration by Tony Matthews is of the PC18, which was driven by the likes of Emerson Fittipaldi and Rick Mears, and was the dominant Indy Car from the 1989 season.
We are giving it away to one lucky winner!

To be in with a chance of winning this rare piece of automotive artwork, simply answer the following question:

Inspired to Design – F1 cars, Indycars & racing tyres by Nigel Bennett is packed with photos, designs & sketches like the image above. How many pictures are there in Nigel Bennett’s autobiography?

To give you a clue, the answer can be found on the book description page here.

Email your answer here. One lucky winner will be selected at random from all the correct entries on
31st March 2017.

In this unique autobiography, Nigel Bennett describes his life and career, from growing up influenced by car design, to his education, and the building of his ‘750 specials.’ He describes his work as Firestone Development Manager, recounting many tales of the outstanding designers and drivers of the period. Detailing his work in Formula 1, as a Team Lotus engineer, and then as Team Ensign designer, he also covers his Indycar designs at Theodore, Lola Cars, and Penske Cars. Life after his retirement, his involvement in boat design and with modern F1 teams, is also covered.

AN INTERVIEW WITH NIGEL BENNETT

We asked Nigel Bennett a few questions about his career in motor racing ...

How big was the learning curve in F1 during the 70s and 80s, an era when aerodynamics became so important?

For me, the whole business was a huge learning curve during this period, even though I had been involved in top level motor racing since 1967 as a Firestone racing tyre designer and engineer to many of the top teams in F1 and sports cars. However, from 1974 I was working as an engineer within racing teams – Hesketh and Team Lotus until 1978 – so I was in at the deep end, learning about car construction, working with the mechanics and home based fabricators, machinists and designers. And, of course, motor racing as an industry was learning fast too, particularly about aerodynamics.
Initially in the 60s, it became apparent that downforce, through the use of wings, meant that cornering grip was increasing rapidly, but so was drag: so subtle compromises were required to find the best combinations for each circuit. Then of course the huge ‘find’ was when, partly by accident, it was discovered that air flow beneath the car could be channelled to produce unheard of levels of downforce, with remarkably small increases in drag. All this was discovered at Team Lotus during my four years with the team.
And working for Colin Chapman, probably the greatest innovator the sport has seen, was a huge advantage to me when I left Team Lotus, and started to design F1 and Indycars myself.

You say in your book that you believe the 80s and 90s were the most wonderful period of motor racing. Why?

What was so challenging in Indycar racing in that period was, like F1, we raced on street circuits and road circuits, but Indycars also raced on Short Ovals and Superspeedways. At the one mile Short Ovals, for instance at Phoenix and Milwaukee, there was racing 3 and 4 abreast at times, and no lack of overtaking. And the G-forces were enormous: at Phoenix the drivers would be pulling some 5G lateral for over 7 seconds through turns 3 and 4. And the speeds at Michigan, or Indianapolis, were tremendous with lap average speeds of around 230mph and top speeds of over 240 mph. The aero rules, and even suspension parts, differed for these different types of circuits and with over 800bhp the cars were fast and spectacular.
Indycars raced not only in the USA, but in Canada, Brazil, Australia and,on occasion, Germany and Great Britain. Then, on both sides of the Atlantic, motor racing was still a sport with much less evidence of big business than is the case today. Teams were so much smaller, budgets were a fraction of today levels, and racing was all the more enjoyable for that.

Hesketh was an extraordinary private team, famous for partying as hard as it raced: your time with Bubbles, Lord Alexander, the Doc and James Hunt must have been extraordinary?

Even in the days when F1 was serious, but fun, Hesketh Racing was an anomaly. It had a reputation of enjoying the parties with the racing as a side show. False! There was a serious side to the team.
I only worked for the Hesketh Racing for a few months, and fresh from a Firestone tyre background, my learning curve was steep. Many of the wild parties happened in the earlier days before I joined as, by then, money was getting tight and the F1 team folded at the end of the year. Despite the Lord’s antics, the team had excellent hard working mechanics. Harvey Postlethwaite was a talented designer and ‘Bubbles’ Horsley a fine Team manager. James Hunt? Well there’s plenty about him on film and in print. And he still owes me £5!

Have you seen the film Rush? How accurately, in your view, does it portray James Hunt and his rivalry with Niki Lauda?

From what I saw Hunt and Lauda were good friends., despite the obvious rivalry on the track. I thought the Rush Lauda character was brilliant, Hunt less so. The real Hunt was more extreme and outrageous than the film dared to show!

What was it really like working with the genius Colin Chapman? Have you got any anecdotes you can share?

Without doubt a brilliant man, very brave, charming, but a bit of a rogue none the less. A fantastic leader with a mercurial brain, he could persuade ordinary mortals to do things, complete tasks, they would never dream possible on their own.
Colin loved to be the centre of attention, with a loud laugh, but could fix you with a steely eye if he thought you weren’t giving your all.
100 hour weeks were not uncommon working for Colin Chapman!
A true innovator, an original thinker, but many of his schemes were failures, it’s just that he came up with so many ideas, that the innovator image stuck. For instance, he claimed he thought through the possibilities of ground effect while on holiday, but, in fact, that was far from the truth as I explain at great length in my book.
His main failure as a designer (thought he seldom, if ever produced final drawings, rather than sketches), was he always wanted to be one step ahead, and developing a design to it maximum, bored him. He always wanted to innovate, at many times to his cost.
He was a good pilot, but wasn’t above flying to his own rules when it suited him. He once flew himself and a couple of crew members to Holland, his secretary had filed the flight plan and informed the local airfield at which he had declared he would land. En route he changed his mind and landed at another airfield (without informing anyone) and departed for the race meeting in a rental car. On arriving back on the Sunday night he found padlocked chains wrapped around the plane’s props. It seems the first airfield, on his non arrival, had assumed he was missing over the North Sea, and alerted the authorities who started a costly search. The police were not amused and took steps to teach him a lesson.

What was it like seeing ‘your’ cars on the front row at Indianapolis?

Great pride that I ,and my design team, had come up with a car that was ahead of the competition, and thankful that I was working for a great team such as Penske racing, which could deliver the true potential of my cars.

What role has tyre technology played in top level motorsport through your working life?

Of course tyres have always been super important in motor racing. Nowadays, there is seldom any tyre competition in that most series, including F1 and Indycars, have one supplier, so it is down to the teams to get the very best from the tyres they are supplied with. Back when I was involved, there were often two or three tyre suppliers, so a tyre war could make it unfortunate if one was contracted to an inferior product. This was very much the case in the mid- to late-nineties, when Penske suffered considerably being contracted to a supplier which was a step behind in development.
When I worked for Firestone, in the late 60s and 70s, there was intense competition with Goodyear and Dunlop, and we often came out on top with superior Firestone products in F1 and Sports cars. Again, many great tyre innovations were stumbled upon by accident, including how slick, plain treaded tyres came about, a story recounted in my book.

What is unique about your book amongst other books that cover a similar era of motorsport?

I believe the book is unusual. Firstly, because it covers a long period in motor racing history from the point of view of one person, but also there are chapters by my main rival designer and the Penske team manager. Secondly it is not only about F1, or even F1 and Sports cars, but also about tyre design and development back in the 60s and 70s.

You met and worked with many great motor-racing characters, which of them really stand out and why?

Mauro Forgheiri ,who took the time to talk to me about his cars, and explain how he went about tuning his cars, his subtle use of shock absorber settings to change a car’s balance. A great character who would organise great meals for his team when time allowed.
Colin Chapman, as described above.
Mo Nunn, a team owner and engineer who struggled with indomitable spirit for years but with inadequate budgets.
Carl Haas, a laugh a minute as a team owner.
Roger Penske, the perfectionist team owner, who allowed me so much freedom to design the cars as I wanted.

What do you regard as the pinnacle of your design work?

Probably the first Lola Indycar that I designed. Although I had designed an Indycar while at Theodore racing, it was a converted F1 car. The Lola T800 was innovative in that it used a lot of carbon fibre in the chassis moulding, a first in Indycars. I had a relatively small amount of design help from other draughtsmen at Lola, and wind tunnel time was severely limited. Of course, the T800 won the Championship with Mario Andretti driving for Newman Haas Racing. Later designs at Penske Cars were even more successful, but I had much better facilities and more people to work with.

What inspired you to bite the bullet and get down to writing the book?

I thought it was worth doing as so many people had asked me about my career. My memory is awful, so it did me good to research the history in which I played a part.

Can you describe how you think F1 racing will have changed by 2020?

No, not really. I think the 2017 F1 rules are a mistake and won’t encourage closer racing and, if nothing is done to bring down costs, F1 will strangle itself.
On the other side of the Atlantic if Indycar is to survive they must get away from these oh so ugly spec cars. The fans do have an interest in seeing different cars, after all the drivers are hardly visible anyway.

Available now! Inspired to Design – F1 cars, Indycars & racing tyres: the autobiography of Nigel Bennett

In this unique autobiography, Nigel Bennett describes his life and career, from growing-up influenced by car design, to his education, and the building of his ‘750 specials.’ He describes his work as Firestone Development Manager, recounting many tales of the outstanding designers and drivers of the period. Detailing his work in Formula 1, as a Team Lotus engineer, and then as Team Ensign designer, he also covers his Indycar designs at Theodore, Lola Cars, and Penske Cars. Life after his retirement, his involvement in boat design and with modern F1 teams, is also recounted. More info.

ENGINE DESIGNER MIKE COSTIN CURATES 5O YEAR COSWORTH DFV ANNIVERSARY DISPLAY AT RACE RETRO

Race Retro, the international historic motorsport show, will bring together an incredible collection of Cosworth DFV powered race cars, to celebrate 50 years since one of the world’s most iconic engines made its debut on the track.

The collection, which includes the Williams FW08 driven by Keke Rosberg to win the 1982 World Drivers’ Championship, has been curated by Mike Costin, who along with Keith Duckworth gave his name to the powerplant.

Mike will appear at Race Retro and will be interviewed on the Motor Sport Live Stage. “I am delighted to be involved in this display to mark the anniversary of the Cosworth DFV story,” said Costin. “I look forward to being reunited with some of the star cars of the past.”

Event Director Daniel Nwaokolo said: “The Cosworth DFV is synonymous with the greatest era of Formula 1 and to have the display curated by designer Mike Costin, one of the greatest engineers of our time, just makes it even more special.”

Held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from 24-26 February 2017, Race Retro’s display will include stunning cars from the Donington Grand Prix Collection, all to be hosted in the dedicated Motor Sport Hall of Fame.

Christopher Tate, Managing Director of Donington Park, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Motor Sport Magazine to put on this fantastic display at Race Retro to kick off the 40th anniversary celebrations of the re-opening of Donington Park. We’re looking forward to showing some of the most famous cars from our Grand Prix Collection and welcoming a large number of enthusiastic race fans ahead of what is certain to be a special year for Donington Park.

“And we can announce one special feature – if you can bring and show us your treasured ticket or programme* from our historic opening event in 1977 at Donington Park, we will exchange that, in advance, for free admission to one day of this year’s Donington Historic Festival, April 28/29/30.”

As a statement of its intention as the new owner and to celebrate the event’s 15th anniversary, organisers Clarion Events will be staging a ‘Super Show’ for 2017. The Cosworth DFV display is the first of many celebratory features to be hosted within the Motor Sport Hall of Fame, with other iconic motorsport names, cars, bikes and technological advancements to be recognised.

Race Retro will also welcome motorsport industry traders with over 85 specialists already committed to attending including Demon Tweeks, Classic World Racing, Millers Oils, and the Vintage Sports Car Club.

Tickets are now on sale for Race Retro, held from 24th to 26th February 2017 at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, with free parking for all visitors. For the latest updates and ticket information, visit www.raceretro.com.

– AVAILABLE FROM VELOCE –

Grand Prix Ford – Ford, Cosworth and the DFV by Graham Robson.

A limited edition of 1500 copies. In 1965, Colin Chapman persuaded Ford to underwrite development of a V8 engine for the new 3000cc Grand Prix formula. Built by Cosworth, the new DFV engine won Lotus four World Championship Grands Prix in 1967. A year later, and now available to other constructors, the engine began its domination of Grand Prix racing.
More info.

Lotus 49 - The Story of a Legend by Michael Oliver.

The definitive story of the Lotus 49 from inception to the fate of the cars today. Includes a racing record and individual chassis histories. The Lotus 49 was one of the most evocative & successful Formula One cars of its era, & the first to use the Cosworth DFV V8 engine. Here is the definitive story from inception to the fate of the cars today. Includes a racing record & individual chassis histories. A high quality artpaper production. A highly acclaimed book. More info.

Forthcoming in 2017! COSWORTH - THE SEARCH FOR POWER (6th Edition) by Graham Robson.

COSWORTH - THE SEARCH FOR POWER covers the entire history, life and times of the famous British high-performance engineering company, from its 1958 foundation by Keith Duckworth, through its often-exciting and always fascinating evolution, expansion and worldwide success in both motorsport and high-performance road cars. More info.

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS AT HMI FOR THE DFV – F1’S GOLDEN ENGINE

Cosworth to display the DFV and some of the cars it powered at new show.

On a bright summer’s day in June 1967, the combined genius of Colin Chapman, Jim Clark, Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth changed the course of Formula 1 racing when Clark drove his Lotus 49 to a resounding win in the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

It was the first outing not only for the Chapman-designed Lotus but, significantly, also for the Ford Cosworth DFV engine that powered it. ­

The DFV, standing for Double Four-Valve, was a 3.0-litre V8 racing engine developed by COStin and DuckWORTH’s Cosworth company and funded by Ford. An instant success, the engine went on to dominate Grand Prix racing for the remainder of the 1960s, through the entire 1970s and into the 1980s.

Between 1967 and 1985, the DFV won 155 Grands Prix from 262 races. Its last win came at the 1983 Detroit Grand Prix when Michele Alboreto took the honours in a Tyrrell while at the 1985 Austrian Grand Prix Martin Brundle, also in a Tyrrell, became the last man to race the DFV in F1.

In various forms, this remarkable engine also enjoyed success in sports car racing, including a win at Le Mans, and also formed the foundation of the ultra-competitive F3000 single-seat series.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of that 1967 debut win, Cosworth will be showing not only a DFV but also a number of the cars it powered in a special display at Historic Motorsport International (HMI).

A brand new show dedicated to historic motorsport in all its forms, HMI will be held at ExCeL London from 23-26 February and is aimed at anyone with an interest in classic racing and rallying.

“Cosworth was founded in 1958 and initially operated solely in the motor racing world. Today we remain the market leader in the development and supply of electronics to the global motorsports market and we are also actively involved in the drive towards connected, autonomous road vehicles and intelligent mobility.

“But there is no doubting the significant role played by the DFV in our story and we are delighted to be able to celebrate this achievement at HMI,” said Bruce Wood, Managing Director – Powertrain, Cosworth.

“Anyone watching motor racing from the 1960s onwards will be aware of the place the DFV has in motorsport history. During the 1970s, for example, every car on the F1 grid, bar the Ferrari, was powered by a DFV. We are honoured that Cosworth has chosen HMI to launch the 50th anniversary celebrations of this highly significant British engineering achievement,” said HMI said show director Ian France.

HMI promises a feast of motorsport nostalgia for everyone. Historic Formula 1 will be represented not just by Cosworth, but also by FORCE who will be showing cars from the 1990s, while the Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC) will be celebrating another golden anniversary, this time marking the 1967 launch of Formula Ford.

HMI will also have stands and displays from organising bodies, suppliers, preparation experts and specialist dealers – more than 100 classic competition cars will be offered for sale at the show. Other features include the inaugural Historic Motorsport Conference, which will examine a number of topics central to historic motor sport.

HMI is staged by Brand Events, the company behind a raft of successful motoring events including CarFest, Top Gear Live and the recent IGNITION Festival of Motoring. It will be held alongside another motoring exhibition from Brand Events, the London Classic Car Show, now in its third year and looking to build on the record 33,000 visitors who visited the 2016 event.

They will be held at ExCeL London, on 23-26 February, with access to both shows included in the entry price. Historic Motorsport International will open its doors at 10am on Thursday 23 February, while the London Classic Car Show will burst into life at 3pm that afternoon.

Tickets to Historic Motorsport International 2017 are now available from the show website – historicmotorsportinternational.co.uk

– AVAILABLE FROM VELOCE –

First Principles – The Official Biography of Keith Duckworth by Norman Burr.

This is the story of perhaps the most talented engineer to emerge from Britain in the 20th century. Keith Duckworth's contribution to motorsport, through Cosworth Engineering, is well documented, but the story of how he arrived at that point is much less well known. More info.

Grand Prix Ford – Ford, Cosworth and the DFV by Graham Robson.

A limited edition of 1500 copies. In 1965, Colin Chapman persuaded Ford to underwrite development of a V8 engine for the new 3000cc Grand Prix formula. Built by Cosworth, the new DFV engine won Lotus four World Championship Grands Prix in 1967. A year later, and now available to other constructors, the engine began its domination of Grand Prix racing. More info.

VELOCE PRE-1994 FORMULA FORD CLASS AT GURSTON DOWN SPEED HILLCLIMBBy Simon McBeath

Copyright Akina Media.
Round 1 of the Gurston Down Hillclimb Championship, where the Pre-1994 Formula Ford class is sponsored by Veloce Publishing, kicked off on April 17th, and Russell Haynes from Bicester took his 1.6 Zeus ZR163 into an early class championship lead with the win on 37.67 seconds from Cirencester’s Paul Morcom, who finished less than six tenths behind in his 1.6 Merlyn Mk 11a.

Veloce author Simon McBeath had delayed his season’s start until the non-championship May event, where he scored his first class win of the year, so he was always going to be a round behind the April entrants in the Gurston championship. However, with four scores from the five championship rounds counting he would still be able to amass the requisite number of scores to challenge early leader Russell Haynes.

June’s double-header event featured two rounds over the two days. June 18th was dry but grip was low. However, McBeath took his 1.6 Swift SC92F to the class win on 37.49secs ahead of Russell Haynes by 0.84 seconds. The following day’s event was affected by intermittent rain but once again McBeath pipped Haynes by 0.64 seconds with a 37.72secs run for his second straight championship event win.

July’s ‘Big Event’, the Veloce Hillclimb Formula Ford Fest, attracted a huge class of 15 drivers in 10 different cars, and the warm, sunny conditions were ideal for fast times. The competition was very close, with the top eight finishers covered by less than a second. But once again Simon McBeath emerged as winner, setting a new class record of 36.30secs, half a second clear of second placed Richard Summers (1.6 Van Diemen RF80). The bonus point for setting a new class record put McBeath in a good position to defend his 2015 class championship title in the final round.

Onto September’s finale then on September 11th, and once again warm, sunny conditions enabled good times to be set. This time the top three were covered by just 0.35 seconds, and McBeath managed to take the win again on 36.60 seconds, 0.31 seconds ahead of season-long series leader Russell Haynes. This result was enough for McBeath to amass a class championship winning score for the second successive year, with an 83.29 points total, ahead of Haynes’s ‘best four scores’ total of 80.58 points.

The Pre-1994 Formula Ford class continues to grow in popularity at Gurston Down, and on the national hillclimb scene too, and the instigator of the ‘Hillclimb FF Fest’, Van Diemen driver Charlie Riley, has compiled a list of around 30 current competitors around the country. The class will again feature in the 2017 Gurston Down Hillclimb Championship, and the Hillclimb FF Fest will once more be a big part of the event at the famous Wiltshire venue in July, hopefully topping the 15 entries seen at the inaugural FF Fest in 2016.

VIDEO: PORSCHE – THE RACING 914S (TRAILER)

The remarkable little car that turned into a big hearted racer.

Coming soon! Porsche – the racing 914s by Roy Smith. There are still those who see the Porsche 914 model as a ‘funny little car,’ compared to the immortal 911. Granted, in its day, professional rally drivers were not keen on the 914: they were nervous driving it at the limit. Yet the records show that 914s were driven to at least 41 class wins, and at least 71 positions on the other two steps of the podium in Regional, National, and International Rallies.

Racing on the circuits of Europe, 914s came home first in their class, and even took overall victory many times. In the USA, in IMSA GTU championship, in nationals, and internationals, it was the same story – and that’s not counting the multitude of SCCA regional races. The 914 first raced in 1970 … the last? Who knows: even now they’re still used in the USA’s SCCA GT classes.
'Porsche – the Racing 914s' is a study in pictures, statistics, factory information, and interviews, that will show the Porsche 914 in a whole new light. This richly illustrated book is released as a limited edition of only 1500 copies - a must have for all Porsche 914 and racing enthusiasts. More info.